The purpose of this article is to describe an action research study on the discourse patterns that seemed to best promote "developed" discussions of literature with fifth-grade struggling readers in an urban school. Developed discussions are those in which a substantial topic is maintained and the teacher-student talk included interpretations of the text and responses supported by textual, personal, and/or prior knowledge. Findings illustrated that developed discussions occurred in relation to the teacher's specific prompts and responses, the literature selected, and her focus on individual students.